Allograft vs. Autograft

A patient’s own tissue - an autograft – can often be used for a surgical reconstruction procedure. Autograft tissue is the safest and fastest-healing tissue that can be used. However, harvesting autograft tissue creates a second surgical site from which the patient must recover. The additional recovery time can extend a patient’s hospital stay. In addition, the secondary site could be uncomfortable for years after the surgery.

Allograft tissue, taken from another person, takes longer to incorporate into the recpient’sr body, but there is no second surgical site to heal. Also, the surgical time and hospital stay may be shorter when allograft tissue is used. Allograft tissue transplants are not rejected by the body as with organ transplants, so that it is not necessary to use drugs to suppress the body’s immune response.